The Glittering Court: The Glittering Court, Book 1

By: Richelle Mead

Narrated by: Kristen Sieh

A dazzling, romantic new fantasy series set in a mix of Elizabethan and frontier worlds from Richelle Mead, number-one internationally best-selling author of Vampire Academy.

Big and sweeping, spanning the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide's deception. Complications soon arise - first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and later when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands....

©2016 Richelle Mead (P)2016 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Southern charm meets My Fair Lady...romantics will love this book." (School Library Connection, starred review)

"With a full cast of bold and original characters, Mead does a superb job of building a world that teens will be excited to enter into and disappointed to leave. The plot is intricately woven, and the ending promises future installments from other characters’ points of view. Brilliant and original, Mead’s new series starts off with a bang and will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end." (School Library Journal)

"The emphasis on romance, dresses, and intrigue will appeal to fans of Kiera Cass." (Voice of Youth Advocates)

Didn't think I would but I did love it.

Strong female leads and fantastic character development. High adventure reminiscent of Jane Austin meets Larry McMurtry.
You'll wanna keep listening.

loved it!

loved this story. fun to listen to. narration was perfect! the characters were great. I'll be reading more from this author. big fan now.

The narrator had a very nice voice

Although the story was not my cup of tea, the narrator had a very nice voice. It's about the only thing that got me thru it.

Pretty good.

It was a rollercoaster for me personally, but this one kept my attention for a greater 85% of the book. The pacing wasn't too bad, and the story was alright. I was slow to take a liking to most of the characters, and they weren't as interesting as the one's in some of the authors other books. I give this read a 3.8/5 for the kinda sorta average story, and a 5 for the grade A narrator. It didn't really leave me wanting too much more, but I think the story can improve down the line, and I will be staying tuned for other installments.

Loved it!

Great book, LOVED the narrator!! I have found absolutely nothing to fault it, and I definitely recomend listening.

exceptional as always from Richelle Mead

An enchanting story of love, adventure, intrigue, deception and friendship. Richelle's books are always fascinating.

Very entertaining!

At first, I was a little put off by the narrator, but as the story unfolded, I became very impressed with her variety of voices and accents, my favorite being Mira. I found the story intriguing, creative, fun and exciting.

Another Winner!!!

I never EVER get enough of Richelle Mead's books, and to date, I've read them all (several times)! I'm just thrilled about the new series, and this charming first book did not disappoint! What will I do until the new books come out?!?!

Listen to the Audiobook!!!

I think what made this story even better was Kristen Sieh’s narration of it. Oh my goodness, she was incredible. I have no idea how she was able to do all those voices for all the characters and none of them sounded the same. Talk about a talented reader. I wish she narrated more books because I would definitely listen to them.

I won’t go into much detail about the book itself because you couldn’t read the description, but I will say that I enjoyed it very much. There were so many twists. I’m excited about reading the point of you from other two main characters.

I definitely recommend the book, but I recommend you to listen to the audio version of it. You will not be sorry.

Not what I expected

For sure not what I thought it would be. It was still interesting enough. I listened to the whole book and I liked it. I don't think I would read it again and I'm not obsessed but it did pass the time for me and got me through some long runs. Not upset I purchased it.